Cumhuriyet newspaper continues to fire union employees

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Cumhuriyet newspaper has dismissed seven journalists and an archive manager, citing "reasons arising from the necessities of the job and the business."

All the dismissed personnel are members of the Journalists' Union of Turkey (TGS).

On November 19, Medya Koridoru website reported that the newspaper was poised to dismiss 15 employees due to the currency crisis, which was expected to cause an annual loss of 600,000 lira (~46,000 USD) for the newspaper.

Also, the number of the newspaper's pages will be reduced to 14 and its price will be raised, according to reports.

In early October, the newspaper had dismissed seven journalists, who were also TGS members.

After the dismissals, the TGS released a statement, saying that the firings revealed the "anti-union stance" of Cumhuriyet executives.

"It wasn't a coincidence that the Cumhuriyet management, which put forward economic reasons for the firings, chose eight of our colleagues who are active in the union struggle," the TGS stated.

It said the dismissed employees should be reinstated and announced that it would stage a protest in front of the newspaper today. (HA/VK)